JPH0246645Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an automatic direction control device for automatically causing a harvester such as a combine to follow grain culm rows.
In particular, it has a sensor arm that protrudes in one direction,
This invention relates to an automatic direction control device using a so-called lateral direction sensor.

In general, in combine harvester work, there are two types of work: row mowing, which works along the rows, and so-called horizontal cutting, which works in the direction perpendicular to the rows. If you use a mower, the rows on the uncut side will be cut or left uncut, creating a zigzag pattern, making it difficult for the already cut side direction sensor to follow the rows during the next operation. . In addition, during horizontal cutting with a combine harvester, the rows of grain culms are not aligned, so it cannot be controlled with the direction sensor installed on the divider on the uncut side, and the rows of grain culms at the end of the cut side, that is, in the cut section, cannot be controlled. It is necessary to control the direction using a direction sensor on the mowed side that follows the direction between the mowed area and the uncut area.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a row mowing direction sensor 3 is provided at the uncut side divider 2a section of the combine 1, and a side mowing direction sensor 5 is provided at the already cut side divider 2b section. There is an automatic direction control device that switches these two-way sensors 3 and 5 either by a manual switch by an operator or automatically based on the difference in the signals of the direction sensors 3 and 5 that occurs during row or horizontal cutting operations depending on the spacing of grain culms, etc. Proposed. by the way,
The row mowing direction sensor 3 and the horizontal mowing direction sensor 5 each have sensor arms 6 and 7 that protrude inward from the machine.
are biased by springs 9 and 10 to stand up, respectively, and limit switches 11 and 12 or 1 are activated depending on their rotational positions.
3,14 can be operated. That is, when the sensor arm 6 does not contact the grain culm 15 or contacts the grain culm 15 shallowly and is within the rotation range a, the row mowing direction sensor 3 turns on the limit switch 11 and issues a clockwise rotation command, Further, when the arm 6 is in deep contact with the grain culm 15 and is within the rotation range c, the switch 12 is turned on and a left turning command is issued, and the arm 6 is further moved toward the grain culm 15.
When the switch 11 and the switch 12 are in the rotation range b, both switches 11 and 12 are not turned on, forming a dead zone. On the other hand, similarly, when the sensor arm 7 is in the rotation range e, the horizontal mowing sensor 5 turns on the switch 13 to issue a left turning command, and when the arm 7 is in the rotation range g, the switch 14 is turned on. When the arm 7 is turned on to issue a clockwise rotation command and the arm 7 is within the rotation range f, both switches 13 and 14 are not turned on, forming a dead zone. In the combine harvester 1, the row cutting sensor 3 is activated during row cutting work, and the sensor arm 6 has a rotation range a,
Based on b and c, the direction is automatically controlled along the rows on the uncut side of the machine, and during horizontal mowing work, the horizontal mowing sensor 5 is activated and its sensor arm 7
Based on the rotation ranges e, f, and g, the direction is controlled along the grain culm row on the cut side of the machine, that is, between the cut section and the uncut section.

However, conventionally, the row mowing sensor 3 and the horizontal mowing sensor 5 have their dead band widths set to approximately the same length, so they do not cause any problems during row mowing work, but in horizontal mowing work, The row of grain culms at the end of the cutting side usually has large irregularities, which increases the swing angle of the machine, causing it to move too far to the cut side or into the uncut grain culm, resulting in normal combine harvester direction control. This often occurred, and even though it was equipped with an automatic direction control device, it required assistance from the operator.

_The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and as shown in _FIG . The distance L ₂ from the divider section 2b where the direction sensor 5 for horizontal mowing is provided to the center position of the dead zone of the sensor 5 is calculated from the divider section 2a where the direction sensor 3 for row mowing is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic direction control device for a reaper in which the distance to the center position of the dead zone of the sensor is set to be larger than _L1 , thereby eliminating the above-mentioned drawbacks.

Examples according to the present invention will be described below.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a combine harvester, which has a reaping section 16 at the front of the machine, and the reaping section 16 has a row mowing direction sensor 3 on the uncut side, that is, the divider 2a section on the left side, as described above. installed,
Further, a horizontal cutting sensor 5 is installed on the already-cut side, that is, the right-hand divider 2b, and behind it a cutting blade 17, a grain culm conveying device 18, and a grain culm detection sensor 19 are installed on the conveying path of the conveying device 18. It is set up. In addition, 20 in the figure is a driver's seat.

The row mowing sensor 3 is the same as the conventional one, but the horizontal mowing sensor 5 can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the cam 21 or limit switches 13 and 14 fixed to the base end of the sensor arm 7. The rotation range f in which both switches 13 and 14 are not turned on, that is, the dead zone, is set to be significantly smaller, and the distance L ₂ from the divider section 2b to the center position of the dead zone L ₂ is determined by the row mowing sensor 3. It is set larger than _L1 .

As a result, during row mowing work, control is performed in the same way as before, but in horizontal mowing work, the dead zone width l ₂ is significantly narrower, so the direction is controlled earlier, and
The direction of the most cut side divider 2b is controlled at a position away from the following grain culm. That is, for example, if there is a protruding grain culm that protrudes slightly on the already cut side,
The sensor arm 7 crosses the narrow dead zone f and enters the right turn command range g, and the combine harvester 1 is immediately turned to the right. On the other hand, if the row of grain culms at the end of the cut side is slightly concave, the sensor arm 7 is immediately returned to the left turning command range e while being in shallow contact with the grain culms, and the combine 1 is immediately turned to the left. turned in a direction. Furthermore, even if the protruding grain culm has a relatively large protrusion amount, the direction of the follower grain culm is controlled by positioning it at a position far from the horizontal cutting sensor 5.
Coupled with the above-mentioned quick clockwise turning command, it is possible to avoid leaving the protruding grain culm uncut or stepping on it with the crawler.

Note that the row mowing sensor 3 and the horizontal mowing sensor 5 are switched by using the horizontal mowing sensor 5 as a reference and the straight forward f and right turn commands of the sensor 5, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 55-75234. In g, the combine 1 is controlled to go straight and to the right, respectively, and the row mowing sensor 3 is activated by the left turn command e of the horizontal mowing sensor 5, and in this state, the row mowing sensor 3 is given priority. The circuit may be set to control the direction of the combine harvester in the corresponding direction, and the circuit may be automatically switched in response to the row mowing operation or horizontal mowing operation, or the circuit may be partially changed. As shown in FIG. 3, with the row mowing sensor 3 as a reference, the straight movement b and right turn command a of the sensor 3 control the combine 1 to move straight and to the right, respectively.
The horizontal mowing sensor 5 is activated by the left turn command c, and the circuit is set so that the horizontal mowing sensor 5 is given priority and the combine harvester is controlled in the corresponding direction in this state. Alternatively, the switch may be operated by an operator using a manual switch.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the dead zone width _l2 of the direction sensor 5 for horizontal mowing is configured to be significantly narrower, so even during horizontal mowing work where there are many irregularities in the following grain culm, the direction sensor 5 can be quickly oriented. It is possible to prevent the reaping machine 1 from protruding too far to the already cut side or into the uncut grain culm, and to perform highly reliable automatic direction control. In addition, since the distance L ₂ to the dead zone center position of the sensor 5 for horizontal mowing is set larger than that L ₁ of the sensor 3 for row mowing, during horizontal mowing work, although the unevenness of the following grain culm is severe, row mowing Since the direction is controlled at a position farther away from the following grain culm than in the case of other times, uncut mowing and crawler trampling are less likely to occur, and the automatic direction control device can be operated stably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the front part of a combine harvester to which the present invention can be applied, Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the automatic direction control device section, and Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the automatic direction control device section. FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram showing an example of the direction of movement of the aircraft based on the automatic direction control. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Reaper (combiner), 2a... Uncut side divider, 2b... Already cut side divider, 3... Row mowing direction sensor, 5... Horizontal mowing direction sensor, 6, 7... Sensor arm ,1
1, 12, 13, 14... switch, a, c,
e, g...Turning command range, b, f...Dead zone,
l ₁ , l ₂ ... Dead band width, L ₁ , L ₂ ... distance.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A direction sensor for row mowing and a direction sensor for horizontal mowing each having a sensor arm projecting laterally are provided in the uncut side divider section and the cut side divider section, respectively, and these bidirectional sensors are connected to the left and right sides, respectively. In an automatic direction control device for a reaper that has a dead zone outside the turning command range in which the turning command switch is activated, and in which both switches are not activated, the width of the dead zone of the direction sensor for horizontal mowing is the width of the dead zone of the direction sensor for row mowing. The distance from the divider part where the horizontal cutting direction sensor is installed to the center of the dead zone of the sensor is determined from the divider part where the row cutting direction sensor is installed. An automatic direction control device for a reaper, characterized in that the distance is set larger than the distance to the dead zone center position of the reaper.